Combined fire alarm and extinguisher



Feb. 22, 1955 c. B. SIGHTS 2,702,599

COMBINED FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHER Filed Feb. 15, 1952 VENTOR.

W a) ATTO EY a 2,702,599 lc Patented Feb. 22, 19

COMBINED FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHER Charles B. Sights, Nashville, Tenn.

Application February 13, 1952, Serial No. 271,336

7 Claims. (Cl. 169-28) This invention relates to a combined fire alarmand extinguisher. More specifically it contemplates providing arelatively inexpensive and easily installable alarm and extinguisherutilizing simple explosive charges for producing a wirespreaddistribution of the fire-retarding substance and for producing one or aSeries of loud warning reports.

The prior art has taught (1) the use of automatic fire alarms, and (2)the use of automatic extinguishing devices. Each kind has been somewhateffective for its intended purpose, but each has been relativelyexpensive, and has lacked the highly desirable functioning of the othertype of device. Prior art devices also have been expensive, cumbersome,difiicult to install and maintain.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a combined firealarm and extinguisher which has the physical and psychologicaladvantages of both extinguishing and warning devices.

It is another object of the invention to provide a combined alarm andextinguisher which is highly effective and yet which is inexpensive,easy to install and maintain.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent as the following detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings in which the same reference characters refer to likeparts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing the alarm and extinguisher intypical installations.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional elevation taken on the line 22 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed showing of the upper right portion ofFig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial view of the upper part of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed showing of the explosive-charge portionof Fig. 2

With reference now to the drawings, the numeral 1 generally designates apreferred form of the fire retarder and alarm of this invention. prisesa conical shell 3 of cardboard, plastic, metal or other suitablematerial, having an opening at its apex for passage of a fuse 5 for theexplosive charge 7. The explosive charge 7 preferably is pre-fabricatedas a conical unit for insertion into the apex of shell 3, but optionallycan be built up in the shell 3, making use of its own conical shell 9unnecessary. The charge 7 is disclosed as being formed of two separateportions designed for sequential detonation. The lower charge 7a is theexpulsive charge for the fire-extinguishing or retarding substance 8(which is shown herein as being a pulverulent substance, but whichobviously could be a fire-inhibiting fluid if preferred). The expulsivecharge 7a is preferably smaller and slower-burning than the alarm charge711, which latter should explode with an extremely loud report asufiicient period of time after the first explosion to permit a sleepingperson to be sufficiently aroused to understand its meaning. Thus charge7a will expel the fire-extinguishing substance 8 and simultaneouslycreate a report loud enough to wake a sleeping person or to attract theattention of a watchman. However, a sleeping or relaxed person is noteasily or quickly alerted to the degree necessary to correctly recognizethe origin and/or meaning of a sound which could be interpreted as beinga back-firing mo tor or even a dreamed experience. For this reason itThis form com- A is desirable that the second fuse 10 should berelatively slow-burning, so that a few seconds thus would elapse betweenthe two explosions, to allow time for the sleep ing or relaxed person tobecome fully alerted. Charge 7b, as stated, should produce an extremelyloud report so that its warning can be heard for great distances andthru closed doors and windows. The divider disk 11 prevents ignition ofcharge 7b directly from charge 7a.

The fire-retardant substance 8 is held in the bottom of cone 5 by adiaphragm 19 of stiff paper, plastic, metal, etc. This disk 19 and thecone 3 are wax-impregnated or otherwise made moisture-proof, so that thesubstance will not absorb moisture and form lumps, or leak out if ofliquid form. A sealing ring 21 of wax, cement, or the like, may be usedto assist in making the seal hermetic. A similar seal is also desirablewhere the fuse 5 emerges from the cone 3.

The fuse 5 may be of any desired length so that it will extend out, orhang down, a distance sufiicient to insure its ignition by flames beforethe fire has spread dangerously. To improve the sensitivity of thedevice, it may be equipped with a temperature-sensitive detonator suchas the mechanism 25-35, which merely requires a temperature in excess ofany normally expected high temperature. Part 23 is a percussion capwhich is cemented to the cone 3 closely adjacent the end of fuse 5. Cap25 is detonated by a blow from a hammer member 25 carried by an arm 27of spring wire, which is mounted in a yoke member 29 by being coiledaround a pin 31 bridging the arms of said yoke 29. Both the yoke 29 andthe fixed end of the spring 27 may be attached to the cone 3 by cement31, or by other suitable means. Spring 27 is tensioned so that it wouldnormally press hammer head 27 against the detonating cap 23. It is heldin the cocked position shown in Figs. 2-4 by a fusible link 35 formed ofan alloy or other substance having a relatively low softeningtemperature, so that the link 31 will break or open up to release thehammer upon an abnormal rise in temperature to a value which ispreferably considerably below that which would be required to directlyignite the cap or fuse, but which is enough higher than normal ambienttemperatures to insure that detonation will not occur in the absence ofa fire.

The cone 3 may conveniently be supported by a relatively stiff wire 41by spirally wrapping its lower end 43 around the apex of the cone. Theend 43 may be cemented to the apex and additionally may have an inturnedpointed tip 43a which can be pressed'into the cone wall to improve thebond and/or to hold the parts assembled while the cement hardens. The upper end 44 of the wire or rod 41 has a loop 44a bent therein to serve asan eye for a nail or screw 45, by which the device can be easilyfastened to a rafter 46. It is preferable that the nail 45 have asquared head end slightly larger than the eye part 44a so that thedevice will be held against swinging, or so that it can be pointed oraimed as desired. The rod 41 can be bent, as shown in phantom in Fig. l,for attachment to a ceiling panel 47.

While I have disclosed a preferred form of the invention, it is to beunderstood that many changes can be made in the size, shape, compositionand arrangements of the parts without departing from the spirit of theinvention. For example, the first explosive charge could be embedded inthe retardant material 8 somewhat remote from the second charge. Alsothe expelling charge could be divided into several parts forsequentially expelling portions of the retardant. If desired, an alrmcould precede the expelling explosion instead of or in addition to thealarm following the same. It would also be a simple modification todesign the expelling charge as a slow-acting one, to slowly distributethe powder or liquid retardant, which may be intermixed or interlayeredtherewith. This latter arrangement could be effected by making the bodyof the device in the form of a familiar pin-wheel for rotation about theaxis of the rod 41, so as to produce a wide-spread lateral distributionof the material 8.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as spouse new and desireto secure by Letters Patent of th'e'United States is:

1. A combined 'fire alarm and" extinguisher'comprising: a containerhaving a downwardly directed discharge opening, a closure means for saidopening, said container having a relative high bursting strength ascompared'with said closure means, a fire-retarding'substance held insaid container by said closure means, an explosive charge to expel saidsubstance'with an audible report, and means responsive to a fire-inducedrise in temperature for detonating said explosive charge, a secondexplosive charge designed primarily as an alarm, and time-delay means'for detonating said second explosive charge responsive to, and at apredetermined time interval after, the fire-responsive detonation ofsaid expelling charge for said fire-retardant substance.

2. A device according to claim 1 and additionally comprising arelatively stiff rod vertically axially extending upwardly from saidcontainer for supporting the same from above.

3. A device according to claim 1 and in which said rod has an eye in itsupper end for receiving anail or like anchoring device for attachingsaid rod to a rafter or ceiling structure.

4; A device according to claim 3-and in which said' 4, rod is bendableto make it adaptable for'nailing to surfaces varying from the horizontalto the vertical.

5. A" device according to claim 1 and additionally comprising a wire rodwound around the upper por tion of said container and extending upwardlyand axially therefrom to form a support therefor.

6. A device according to claim 5 and in which said container is ofconical shape and said wire rod spirally embraces the apex thereof,whereby vertical and rotational displacement of said container due toexpulsive reaction is prevented.

7. A device according to claim 1 and in which said time delay means is afuse having a burning time of several seconds to time for arousing oralerting of a person between said detonations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,708,869 Buddecke Apr. 9, 1929 1,941,298 Green Dec. 26, 1933 2,057,840Neumann Oct. 20, 1936 2,152,761 Grison Apr. 4, 1939 2,383,048 Eckert,Jr. Aug. 21, 1945 2,598,273 Kromer May 27, 1952

